Work Text:
As a single father of 4 Charlie had grown used to sleepless nights, so even now when his kids were much older than they used to be he finds himself staring at his bedroom ceiling exhausted but unwilling to fall asleep on the of chance his kids need him, now logically he knows that his kids are fine and their old enough to take care of themselves but there's a deep parental part of him that's just too antsy to fall asleep. So that's how he's found himself here - it had started about a month ago when Cody woke up late at night not feeling great, he was fine but after having been awake Charlie couldn’t fall back asleep. The first time it happened Graham was awake - studying for some sort of exam, and upon hearing someone walking around had investigated, seeing it was only his father he said night and then went back into his room. The next time it happened was when Dani was coming home from a night patrol when she came down the elevator from the copter pad she had noticed 2. Things. 1 Her father was trying to find his keys to the old patrol car and he was dressed in his full uniform. She had walked up to him, taken his hand and walked him back to bed and made sure he was back in pajamas before getting some shut eye herself. The final flag for something to be done was when cody had gotten up one night for a glass of water and seeing his dad making a his way out the door and had mumbled “ going to the grocery store be back in a bit “ to cody as he walked away, cody ran and got dani who once again ushered him back to his bed room. So here he was in the middle of the night about to go out the garage door when suddenly he heard an “ah goods evening chief” from behind him. “ AH-..I mean, good evening Chase..What are you doing?” He said back "Chase looked at him and replied “Looking out for you.” Chase replied “What?” Charlie was too tired for this, when all the sudden chase said “Ah, that reminds me, the others told me to do this if I spot you.” And he pulled the fire house alarm bell, “chase what is the meaning of this” chief said - “we were wondering the same thing dad” came a voice from behind him - to which he turned to and saw his four children stood their arms crossed and awaiting an explanation. At that moment Charlie went silent- exhaustion caught up with him, and seeing his children so worried “I - I don't know” His eyes threatened to begin watering, and suddenly Dani had her hands on his shoulder and was gentle guiding him to the couch in the bunker, once she had him sat, she whispered something to Kade who simply nodded his head and walked away. Charlie felt something touch his shoulder and jumped - turning and noting it was just Cody giving him a hug- Charlie melted in towards his sons touch and soon enough Kade was back with Dani’s med bag “Dani, im fine you dont need to do a check up on me” he glared at her “I know your probably fine dad but it's better to be sure then for something to happen” placing her travel stethoscope over his chest “deep breath dad” Charlie obeyed if only to put his children’s minds at ease. As dani confirmed that his breathing and heartbeat were fine, she looked to graham who must have gone to the kitchen at some point because he had a cup of hot water “Here dad have some water” Graham told him and when his father looked at his sister who had a stern look on her face he took the glass and began drinking. Dani sat beside him after he had finished and looked to him “What’s going on dad, this is the fourth time this month” she said gently as she placed her arms around his torso to give him a quick hug- “I- I don't know” He muttered tears now rolling down his cheeks - he felt arms around him tighten as his tears became held back sobs exhaustion making everything feel like more than it was “Would it help if we stayed with you tonight dad?” Kade, who was never that sensitive, asked gently - “Ma- Maybe” Charlie hiccuped around his answer. Suddenly the bots spoke up “would it be beneficial if you could set up down here where there are no stairs” the voice was husky and Cody looked around to see heatwave standing there holding what appeared to be the burns camping gear. “That would be great thanks to the heatwave,” Cody said quietly. Graham took the gear from heatwave and Began to set it up, while Kade went upstairs to gather bedding for the blow up and sleeping bags. Cody looked past his fathers head at dani who gave him a nod and together they helped hoist their father up “come on dad lets go get you back into your pyjamas” dani gave his hand a tight squeeze as she lead him, Cody had run up ahead to find his fathers other pair of pyjamas from a few christmases ago they were a gift from him and his siblings . When Dani had him up the stairs and in his room Cody handed her the pyjamas and helped her sit their now completely distraught father on his bed. “Okay dad” she said gently as she unbuttoned his work shirt, gently removing it and tossing it towards her father’s laundry bin. Cody handed her his pyjama shirt and Dani slid it over his head and maneuvered his arms into the shirt, next she had cody hold him up from his arms so she could take his work pants off, after removing his pants she took the pyjama bottoms and slide them onto her fathers legs “Dad can you do the rest” dani looked at him with gentle eyes and her father nodded. He stood up and walked into his ensuite to do whatever else he needed to do when he came back out he was still crying but the sobbing had stopped. Cody walked up to him and wrapped his arms around his father “come on dad let’s go see if everyone is done setting up” he whispered. When they got back into the bunker, Kade and Graham had set up the large blow up bed and placed the smaller ones around the main one. Charlie looked at the large bed and his crying ramped back up. “Woah woah dad deep breaths” Dani said to him, “what’s wrong?” she asked. “I- I don't want to — be alone” the chief choked his words out around sobs. The burns children looked at each other worried and Cody rushed to calm his father “Dad hey - your not going to be alone were all here all of us are going to be in the beds beside you” the sobs only worsened and the children looked at each other with shock what in god's name was wrong with their dad “Dad hey look at me” Dani said quickly “ okay breathing in for 3 and out for 3 ready” dani said as she took her hand and placed it on her fathers knee, maneuvering his hand to rest on her chest where she knew he would be able to feel the deepness of her breaths, they sat there for a while calming his breaths until he looked up at them face stained with tear tracks. Charlie mumbled something and Kade looked at him “dad can you speak up a little bit we missed that” Kade knelt in front of him and placed a hand on his dad’s knee. Charlie looked around taking a deep breath and muttered again this time the kids could make out the words “alone, cant, sleep, and bed” the burns kids looked at each other, then at the bots, and then back at their father, blades looked at Dani and signalled for her to come over. “What are blades?” she asked, “if you can get a comm close enough we can tell you what he said” blades looked at her, “good idea blades!”. Dani walked over to her dad, grabbing a comm link on the way. “Hey dad, can you tell me what you said one more time” she held his one hand while she waited for him to talk the comm’s on button being held down. After she noted that his mouth had stopped moving she looked to the bots who signalled her to come talk to them. After discussing with the bots, Dani walked back to her father and squatted on him making sure they held eye contact. “Would you rather us be in the big bed with you?” she asked gently. Charlie looked at her and merely nodded, his face becoming flush with embarrassment and from crying. Cody looked at Dani, who glanced at Graham and kade. kade spoke first “I think we can make that happen” graham nodded to that, and looked to dani, Dani looked at her dad, and helped him to his feet, “That is a hundred percent possible” she looked to cody who just nodded and then looked back at her father who now was beyond exhausted and looked absolutely miserable, wrapping him in a hug as Cody came back with a weighted blanket from the firehouses couch and a cold cloth. “Thanks Cody” Dani muttered quietly, and then proceeded to wipe her father’s face with the cold cloth, initially he flinched but soon melted into the cooling touch. Kade and graham had made sure everything was set up, moving 2 of the 4 blow up beds away and getting pillows set up around the floor in case anyone rolled off. As Dani and Cody approached with their father, he made a sound of disappointment seeing two beds remaining beside the large bed, “Its okay dad, we just can't all fit on the one bed, kade and graham are going to sleep on the outer beds, but cody and I will join you on the main bed” Dani said to her father before anything to barrel into chaos and more tears. Charlie looked at her and then the rest of his children and nodded quickly, before letting himself be guided down to the comfort of the bed. Kade and Graham had gotten in their individual beds already, so cody put himself on one side while dani went to the other, once they were in their respective places Charlie laid back as well, letting his pillow hold his head, Dani sat up quickly to maneuver the weighted blanket onto their father, hoping it would keep him in place. The lights were switched off presumably by one of the bots. Dani placed her hand in her fathers give it a quick squeeze and Cody turned towards his dad to huddle into his fathers side. Charlie let out a sigh of breath and for the first time in a long time let himself drift into the hands of a deep sleep.
The next morning was anything but pretty. The burned kids were coming down the stairs to bring their dad breakfast. They had just gone up stairs to get him some food. Last night was emotionally tolling on everyone, and everyone jumped when they heard the sounds of their father crying again. They looked at each other and quickly went down to the bunker to find him lying in bed still tucked under the thick weighted blanket “Dad hey hey what’s wrong?” Dani quickly got to work getting their father sat up right and enveloping him in a hug “you were all gone” their father whispered, cody looked to his siblings quickly handing them the bowl of fruit he had carried down “its okay dad we’re here, we were just making you some breakfast” he said sitting down and looking his father in the eyes, Charlie looked around and noted his two older boys holding a tray of food, face going flush from embarrassment he looked away diverting his eyes, “hey dad it's alright last night was pretty tolling on you, its alright to cry you don't need to hold yourself together for us all the time” Dani said to him gently as she took her hand and tilted her fathers head to look at her again. “How bout we put on a movie and have this breakfast, okay?” Cody said to him. Charlie looked up and nodded, letting himself be guided once again to the couch this time he was at least a little more present this time. The bots came over to watch with them and once being glanced at by Cody simply sat quietly. Charlie found himself eating slowly and as the movie reached the middle he found himself drifting off again. When he woke up again he found himself still between his four children. “Hey dad how you feeling” Charlie looked around and noticed Cody looking up at him, “I - I think im doing better” he says with a quick sigh, “that's good” Dani says “last night was a little bit wild eh, do you wanna talk about it”. She says sweetly “I think I was honestly just beyond exhaustion” Charlie says, “dad what’s been happening isn't healthy, do you want to set up a doctors appointment, or do you just want one of us to stay with you at night” Dani replies, “I don't want to be a burden on you kids though” Charlie says in a whisper. “Dad you’ve taken care of us so many times even if we are all adults now, well except for Cody, I think we can take care of you until we get this sorted out” Kade mentions to him, “are you sure?” Charlie asks shyly, his children look him dead in the eyes and whisper scream “YES” and all gather round him in a hug, “it's going to be okay, we promise no. matter how long it takes we’ll stay with you okay” Dani says “Okay” He looks at them and smiles